R&R
by show-me-your-tardis
Summary: During shore leave, Shepard decides she needs a night off from thinking about the reapers. Also known as that time Shepard introduced Garrus to the world of bath bombs. Set after the Citadel DLC, vague spoilers.


Shepard stepped into _Rest & Relaxation_, it was quickly becoming her favourite shop on the Citadel. That title had previously been held by _Kanala Exports,_ where she bought her fish. Her aquarium was now full, so she'd started collecting bath bombs instead.

It had started when Shepard had commented on the violet smell that floated around Traynor. She had blushed a deep crimson, and muttered something about a really good date. Shepard had pressed for details, and learnt a little too much about Traynor's private life. But she had also learnt about the _Rest & Relaxation _store, and her love of bath bombs had been rekindled. She hadn't had chance to use one in so long.

She nodded to the Asari shopkeeper, and approached the catalogue. She immediately spotted the newest addition to the long list of bath bombs. It was bright blue, with a pink line running around the centre of the sphere. It was called Intergalactic. She read the description:

 _With a blend of specially modified ingredients, there is not a single species in the galaxy that could refuse this bath. Let the romantic scents warm you up, as constellations and vortexes burst across the water. So, whether your lover is asari, human, krogan, turian, salarian, or anything else, we don't judge, and neither does this bath bomb._

Shepard ordered that bath bomb as soon as she'd finished reading the description. It was perfect. She thanked the shop keeper, slipping her purchase into a bag. She headed off to find Garrus, an idea forming in her mind.

– – –

"A bath?" Garrus asked, crossing his arms over his chest.

They were in Shepard's apartment on the Citadel, in the bathroom. Shepard turned off the running taps, and tested the temperature of the water with her hand. It was the perfect temperature, hot enough to turn her skin pink, but not too hot to hurt. She perched on the edge of the tub, and smiled up at Garrus.

"Do turians bathe?" She asked.

"We bathe. We don't take _baths._ " Garrus said, looking at the water with a confused expression.

Shepard followed his gaze, and looked back to him, "Wait, can turians get wet?"

Garrus tilted his head at her, "No, Shepard. The entire turian race is allergic to water."

"Watch it with the snark, Vakarian. I may be your girlfriend, but I'm still your commander." Shepard said, standing up and putting on her best I'm-the-boss face.

"Right, sorry." Garrus said, catching her wrist. He pulled her close. She wrapped her arms around his waist, and he pressed his mouth against her forehead. He whispered into her hair, "Commander, take off your clothes."

"Is that an order?" Shepard asked, grinning.

She stepped away from Garrus, and unzipped her N7 hoodie. She shrugged out of it and hooked it on the back of the door. She wriggled out of her pants, and dropped them and her t-shirt to the floor. Garrus watched her undress, humming in approval every time something was removed. When she was in just her underwear, she arched an eyebrow at Garrus.

"You going to stand there all day?" She asked.

"Just admiring the view." Garrus said, mandibles flaring in a smile.

"Pants off, Vakarian." Shepard ordered, unclasping her bra.

Once they had both shed their clothes, and shared a quick kiss. Shepard grabbed the bath bomb and climbed into the tub. She sent a mental thanks to Anderson, for giving her this place. The bathtub alone was enough to win her over. Both her and Garrus could fit in it with ease, sat at opposite ends of the tub. Their legs overlapped, but that was kind of the point.

"Ready?" Shepard asked.

"Sure." Garrus said, sounding unimpressed.

She rolled her eyes, and dropped the bath bomb into the water. A fizzing sound filled the room, and the water began to turn a deep blue, with streaks of pink and yellow that appeared and faded fast. Shepard watched with delight, as tiny pieces of gold glitter floated to the surface. Garrus let out a breathy laugh at Shepard's face, and she grinned at him.

As the bath bomb fizzed and floated across the water, Shepard lay back against side of the tub. She submerged herself, disappearing under the water, and reappeared. Her hair was dripping wet, and she swiped water out of her eyes.

"You know, I'm starting to see why you enjoy this so much." Garrus said, his eyes trailing from the top of her head, down her face, and down to her chest.

She smiled at him, and ran her foot along the inside of his thigh. The water was a deep, endless blue now, with little patches of white froth on the surface. It was like she was back on earth, bathing in the ocean. If the ocean was filled with tiny stars, and smelt like flowers.

Garrus sighed and slid further into the water, his eyes shut, "I could get used to this."

"Don't. We still have a war to fight." Shepard muttered, but even as she said it, she submerged herself up to her chin, enveloping herself in the warm water. She placed her feet on either side of Garrus's hips, and he rested a hand on one of her knees.

"Yeah. Or we could just stay here forever, let the galaxy fix itself." Garrus said softly, drawing circles on her skin gently with the tip of his talon.

"Don't tempt me, Garrus." Shepard smiled.

She let out a content sigh, and sat up. Garrus ducked under the water. When he reappeared, the paint had washed off his face. He opened his eyes, and watched Shepard. Her skin shimmered with flecks of glitter when she reached for her shampoo bottle. She squeezed a liberal amount into her hands.

"Wait, let me." Garrus said, shifting forward in the water and creating a mini wave. He held his hand out at Shepard expectantly.

"What do you know about hair?" Shepard asked, arching one eyebrow.

"I know you like it when I pull it." Garrus said with a smirk.

"That's really not what I'm going for here." Shepard said.

"Shepard, give me some credit." Garrus said, wiggling his fingers when Shepard still didn't hand over the shampoo.

She looked skeptically at Garrus, and then sighed. With a muttered _fine,_ she scraped the shampoo into Garrus's waiting hand. He gave it a tentative sniff, and then smiled. She knitted her brow in confusion.

"What?" She asked.

"It smells like you." He said.

She smiled, and ducked under the water again to wet her hair. When she came back up, she twisted around so her back was to Garrus. She felt the water move when Garrus shifted closer to her. She wiggled and leaned back, until she was sat with his legs on either side of her, and in the perfect position for him to wash her hair.

His hands wrapped in her hair, foaming up the shampoo. Shepard was nervous. She knew Garrus would never scratch her with his talons – unless she asked – but she couldn't help worrying about her scalp. A sliced up head was the last thing she needed.

She had no reason to worry though, Garrus washed hair like an expert. She was half convinced he'd spent a short time as a hairdresser. Who knew what he'd been doing before he became Archangel?

Garrus's fingers and talons massaged her scalp and untangled knots in her hair. It was so good, Shepard couldn't help but let out a moan. Her shoulders relaxed, every care and worry she had about this war disappeared into the warm water. Her muscles were no longer tense and aching, she was melting in the bathwater.

Eventually, she couldn't hold her head up any longer. She leaned back, resting against Garrus's chest. He let out a breathy laugh in her ear, and his hands left her hair.

"It's hard to wash your hair like this." He said, pressing his mouth against her shoulder.

"I know." Shepard whispered.

If she spoke any louder, she'd remember all the responsibilities she had. Right now, she just wanted to lie in the bath with her boyfriend, and let the water lap against them, covering them in tiny stars. Garrus's arms wrapped around her, holding her against him. She sighed contentedly, and he hummed in her ear, a soft melody Shepard recognised from the radio.

They lay still for a long time, until the water went cold, and Shepard's fingers wrinkled. She freed herself from Garrus's arms, and he let out a soft whine. She moved across the tub, and looked over her shoulder at him, "Did I wake you?"

"I wasn't sleeping." Garrus said, rubbing his eyes.

"Mhm, sure." Shepard smiled. She twisted around, and pressed a kiss to his mouth. He ran his fingers through her still-soapy hair.

She pressed her forehead to his, before dunking under the water again, and rinsing the shampoo from her hair. Once the shampoo was out, she stood up, pulled the plug, and left the bath. Water slid down her skin and dripped to floor. Garrus followed her, and they toweled off, feeling sleepy and relaxed. They were both dotted with flecks of gold, and covered in the scent of flowers.

The two of them walked to Shepard's bedroom. Shepard changed into her pajamas, rubbing the towel against her hair. When she turned around, Garrus was in a skin tight suit Shepard assumed were his pajamas.

He arched an eyebrow at her outfit, "That's what you're sleeping in?"

She looked down at her pajamas – drawstring cotton shorts, and a t-shirt with the _Ryuusei's Sushi Bar_ logo on it. She folded her arms across her chest, "What's wrong with this?"

"Nothing. I just always pictured you sleeping in something a little more, ah, armoured." Garrus said, settling onto the bed.

"You've slept with me before." Shepard pointed out, climbing onto the bed next to him.

Her hair was still wet, but she didn't have the energy to dry it. She leaned back against the headboard next to Garrus, and rested her head on his shoulder. He wrapped an arm around her, running his hand up and down her arm softly.

"I know, but you aren't wearing pajamas when we do that." Garrus said.

"Good point." Shepard laughed, "What can I say? Ryuusei does the best sushi."

"Not to mention you smashed the restaurant to bits. Working as a walking, talking advert, is the least you can do." Garrus said.

"Yeah, but let's not talk about that." Shepard said, shaking off thoughts of her clone.

She wasn't in the mood to think about that, she just wanted to have a night off. She was going to cuddle with her boyfriend, and watch vids, and pretend to be a normal person, and not Commander Shepard. She pulled the covers up over her and Garrus's legs, and used her omnitool to turn on the TV on the wall.

She flicked through the channels, skipping over Diana Allers broadcasting from the Normandy, and over anything that related to the reapers. She ended up on a channel airing an episode of Fleet and Flotilla. She had no idea who was who, or what was happening but she left it on anyway.

"Really, Shepard? That show Tali loves?" Garrus asked, leaning his head against the top of hers.

"Shh, it's not that bad." Shepard said.

She yawned, and wriggled closer to Garrus. She didn't make it to the end of the episode, before falling asleep, feeling well rested and pampered for the first time in a long time.


End file.
